


The Best Of What Is Given

by slightlyjillian



Category: Gundam Wing
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Gen, M/M, complicated friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-05-10
Updated: 2010-05-10
Packaged: 2017-10-09 09:50:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/85883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slightlyjillian/pseuds/slightlyjillian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU. Wufei's learned that friendship comes with the price tag of <i>obligation</i>. Then he meets Nichol.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Best Of What Is Given

He'd gone to the club with Duo Maxwell expecting the American to get drunk, get the attention of someone and disappear. Then Wufei would reclaim his keys, appreciate the nearly empty city streets and retreat into his apartment with enough hours to push _nap_ into _shortened sleep_.

To a certain point, Wufei's prediction followed his expectations exactly. Maxwell had pushed himself into Wufei, chest-to-chest, and said, "Look, are you alright by yourself because he's got cash. He's _loaded_."

The music changed to a club favorite and the local boys doubled their enthusiastic bounding shaking loose glitter and sweat and mostly, Wufei had to admit, having fun.

"Go on," Wufei said, but not loudly enough.

"I lost him!" Duo surveyed the crowd. Then he pointed. "Oh wait... that's him. Gorgeous."

"Yeah, yeah," Wufei nodded, gently using his index fingers to push Maxwell toward the generic faces. Maybe it was the guy with the nearly white eyes. Or the slender, effeminate blond. Duo waved from his elbows, then literally dove in with his manic laughter mixing in with the rhythmic pulsing.

Wufei climbed up from the dance floor and exchanged polite smiles with the slender fellow behind the bar. The rest of the stairs took him past the guys who watched the front. He knew Heero Yuy who seamlessly collected Wufei's belongings.

"It's started to rain," Heero said. His voice seemed colorless until you had a complete conversation with the sullen man. Only after time could one notice the variable dips and hesitations and the endless wistful current underlining every thought.

Flipping up his collar, Wufei nodded once and then pushed out into the damp and the dark.

He had used his badge to get into the company parking garage, which was cheaper but further from the club. The walk took him past a disco themed bar, a psychic (closed), a tattoo parlor and tanning salon (open and heavily wafting the scent of coconut oil) and a few empty businesses with the stencil outlines barely visible in the boarded windows.

Wufei crossed without waiting for the signal. The rain had started to fall quickly enough that drops noticeably slid through his hair, along his scalp and down his neck.

A man's voice yelled, "Whatever, I give up! Don't believe me..."

Wufei heard the shouting only just before being slammed into from the side. He stumbled but caught himself. The weight didn't leave as Wufei continued to mostly support the sprawled back of the huffing man. Wufei looked up to see a small crowd of five or six people, silhouettes against the brilliant orange inside the bar. A beautiful woman slapped her hands, once--then twice, as if dusting them off.

She spoke, "You never change. The paranoia... the crazy delusions..."

"Sorry," the man said briskly to Wufei. The man regaining his footing. He seemed as if he was going to say more, muttering and then letting the syllables die in a nonsensical grumble. He rapidly flexed his shoulders, allowing his jacket to fit across them properly. The rain had already drenched through the dark, now-shining curls of his hair.

"Go get retested if that'll make you feel better," she called after.

"Enough, Dorothy. He's out-of-bounds accusing you like that, but Nichol didn't seem to be fitting for a fight. This time." When the other woman spoke, the spectators lost interest and retreated into the warmth and the light.

Wufei looked away from them to where the person they called Nichol drug his feet into the distance.

For a moment, Wufei considered crossing to the other side of the street, but why prolong his exposure to the uncomfortable elements? He continued and eventually matched pace with Nichol.

The taller man glanced at Wufei along the bridge of his nose. A wet drop reflected the streetlamp then dropped from the tip of his nose. "Didn't mean to run into you. But thanks."

"No problem," Wufei replied. "I've got my fair share of exciting friendships."

"She is that."

"I meant you."

"Ah," Nichol said. "Well, my name is Nichol. Dwyn Nichol, but just Nichol is fine."

He acted as if they were going to be friends. Wufei considered that notion cautiously. Troublesome friends usually followed up that line with a request and _could you do me a favor_...

Instead, Nichol tossed his head back and laughed, open mouthed, toward the sky. He didn't stop walking though. "Dwyn. You know he's like the god of love or some nonsense like that?"

"Maybe it only works on other people," Wufei commented. The sign for his parking block came into sight.

Nichol laughed again, less than before. Then he took a deep breath.

_Here it comes,_ Wufei determined.

"I'm dying," Nichol said.

Wufei pursed his lips. The sound that came out said, "Oh." The wind came around the corner and they both shivered.

"The doctor's this nice guy. Says he can try to call some specialists and set up a team to work me over. I'll lose the hair or they have to run me on dialysis or something."

They walked a few more steps in only the noise of the rain and a car hitting puddles on the street.

"Actually, I sort of stopped listening after they started giving life expectancy estimates. I should call them and figure out what I have," the other man confessed rather sheepishly rubbing at his nose.

"Probably," Wufei agreed. "So the fight with the girl?"

Nichol blinked at Wufei a few times as if just noticing that he wasn't talking to _himself_. Wufei had stopped walking. They were at the entrance of the garage. An overhang gave them brief shelter. Crude lights illuminated their faces. Nichol chewed on the inside of his cheeks causing them to cave inward.

"Met her at a work party. Shouldn't have fallen in love with her, but _things_ got in the way of it being anything more," he paused. "She's something though, isn't she?"

Wufei let himself smile. His cheeks easily pulling back as he breathed a laugh. "If I had a type..."

Nichol waved his index finger, "No way. Stay far, very far from that one. She's... the best. At that type."

"Of course. Well, I'm going up." Wufei shifted his weight. "Do you need a lift?"

Nichol tilted his head, "I could catch the bus."

"Forget it," Wufei shook his head. "The bus, I mean. If you mean the line on Webster, you've got quite a wait. Doesn't run on weekends."

Nichol followed after a brief hesitation. At the car, Wufei waited before opening the door. "My name's Chang Wufei, designated driver... unless my partner finds someone else to haul his ass home."

Nichol's eyebrows shot upward into the damp fringe of dark hair. "Partner?"

Wufei hesitated, then his cheeks heated. "In our _job_, it's freelance. Technology. For the labs..."

The other man laughed again, "Cool, we're cool, Chang Wufei... I just assumed. Well, I've been to Reverse before."

"You?" Wufei retorted lightly. He got into the car and immediately turned the key, adjusted the radio volume and ready to change the subject. "Where am I taking you?"

"Depends on why you go to Reverse," Nichol said, looking ahead then away into the side mirror. The comment sat unaddressed until Wufei caught the slight curl in Nichol's lips.

"I swear, you _are_ a bastard," Wufei said cheerfully. "No wonder that Dorothy woman found you exacerbating."

"Indeed," Nichol smiled again, his eyes closing as he slumped against the car door. "Dwyn, god of mischief."

"I thought you said god of _love_."

"It's both."


End file.
